John Pizzarelli Stage & Screen Palmetto Having just witnessed a performance from John Pizzarelli and his trio, the same musicians that grace, Stage and Screen, it’s not surprising to see the guitarist/vocalist/songwriter devote an album to the Great American Songbook. That’s primarily what he’s been doing for the past 40 years whether it be Frank […]
Rachel Eckroth One Blackbird Sessions Having somehow failed to review Rachel Eckroth’s Grammy nominated The Garden and realizing that we haven’t yet devoted ink to one of the more versatile artists of our time, it just seemed right to make you aware of her latest endeavor. One is Eckroth alone on solo acoustic piano devoid […]
David Cook Loyal Returns Sunnyside There are plenty of musicians whose first love is playing jazz but realize that applying their talents to other genres can be more lucrative. Such is the case with pianist, composer, and erstwhile musical director David Cook who leads such big name acts as Taylor Swift, Shoshona Bean, and Shayna […]
Various Artists Shorter Moments – Blue Ballads Posi-Tone Even before the iconic Wayne Shorter passed just this past March, we had seen tributes to him in recent years by many artists across many labels. In fact, this one, Posi- Tone issued their first installment of Shorter Moments–Exploring the World of Wayne in 2021. This next […]
The Le Boeuf Brothers Hush Soundspore If the sound and music of an album can be described in one word, the Le Boeuf Brothers have managed to do just that with this title, Hush. One does not find many jazz albums with 19 tracks as this has, but the many short vignettes or interludes serve […]
Jae Sinnett’s Zero to 60 Quartet – (featuring Randy Brecker) Commitment J-Nett Music Jae Sinnett is a formidable, drummer, composer, educator, and bandleader but he may be even more widely known to most as a top-rated jazz programmer and radio personality. He is the host for NPR affiliate WHRV-FM 89.5 in Norfolk, VA. He hosts […]
Wayne Escoffery Like Minds Smoke Sessions Saxophonist, composer, and educator Wayne Escoffery returns with his steady quartet and major guests for Like Minds, his Smoke Sessions follow-up to the acclaimed 2020 The Humble Warrior. Escoffery considers the album very personal, on the one hand containing pandemic reflections and on the other, basking in the enjoyment […]
Nick Finzer Dreams, Visions, Illusions Outside in Music Trombonist, composer, arranger, producer and Outside In Music label founder Nick Finzer delivers Dreams, Visions, Illusions with his long running sextet. The album follows his 2021 album Out of Focus and is a cousin to his 2020 sextet recording Characters. Finzer’s sextet features tenor saxophonist and bass clarinetist Lucas Pino, guitarist Alex Wintz, pianist Glenn Zalenski, bassist Dave […]
Triogram Triogram Circle Theory Media Jazz artists continually refer to “our generation,” “the next generation,” or “the elders” when describing the lineage of an artist or unit. Depending on your perspective, Triogram is an either “our generation” or “next generation” group of three musicians, all under 30 years of age. They are a modern jazz […]
Lucas De Mulder & The New Mastersounds Feel the Spirit The Drawbars – One Finger Only Color Red We made you aware of the funky, mostly organ-oriented music coming out of the label Color Red with our review of the Tim Carman Trio in late February. There’s plenty more where that came from, most recently […]
Luis Russell At the Swing Cats Ball – Newly Discovered Recordings from the Closet Vol 1.- 1938-1940 Dot Time It turns out that with all due respect Zev Feldman and Cory Weeds aren’t the only jazz archaeologists unearthing new discoveries. Firsthand this writer heard Catherine Russell describe how she found boxes of acetates when cleaning […]
Steve Swell’s Fire Into Music For Jemeel – Fire from the Road Rogue Art Steve Swell’s Fire Into Music is a band that grew out of New York’s creative improvisational scene in the late ‘80s, with this 3-CD live set, For Jemeel, Fire from the Road, dating to shows from 2004-2005 in two Texas locations […]
Behn Gillece Between the Bars Posi-Tone Between the Bars is the ninth album as a leader for vibraphonist Behn Gillece, not to mention his many sideman contributions to the label’s catalog. He brings both familiar Posi-Tone names such as pianist Art Hirahara and saxophonists Diego Rivera (tenor) and Patrick Cornelius (alto, soprano, bass clarinet) as […]
Towner Galaher Organ Trio LIVE Rhythm Royale Some of the most timeless music in jazz lies in its sub-genre, the classic organ trio. Rarely does a month go by without an organ trio or organ related band. We’ve already heard from Dave Stryker with Larry Goldings and the Vince Ector trios in this first quarter […]
Dewayne Pate On the Upside Self-released The talented musicians in San Francisco’s Bay Area never cease to amaze in their versatility across so many genres whether it be blues, soul, R&B, jazz, or Latin. We’ve heard these cross-pollinations on albums from David K. Mathews, Roy Obeido, and Bill Ortiz, among others. Now the ridiculously busy […]
Ingrid Laubrock The Last Quiet Place Pyroclastic The title, The Last Quiet Place, certainly has a foreboding ring to it. Where is such a place – is it physical or is it some corner of our inner selves that becomes increasingly more difficult to reach? Saxophonist and composer Ingrid Laubrock posed these questions to herself […]
Peter Case Doctor Moan Sunset Blvd. Apart from the great, though purposely dichotomous album title, Peter Case marks his first piano driven album, the sixteenth in his storied five-decade career that’s ranged from punk, jangly rock, and introspective folk to what we can now add his latent hints of jazz and blues. While researching this […]
Canadian Jazz Collective Septology – The Black Forest Session HGBS Blue The Canadian Jazz Collective (CJC) is fronted by three of Canada’s most acclaimed and accomplished jazz treasures and familiar names to readers of these pages, especially trumpeter Derrick Gardner alongside saxophonist Kirk MacDonald, guitarist Lorne Lofsky. We introduced clarinetist Virginia MacDonald (Kirk’s daughter) on Michael Dease’s recently issued The Other […]
Mark Lewis Sunlight Shines In Audio Daddio Leave it to legally blind musician, saxophonist/flutist Mark Lewis to entitle his album this way. It’s his way of marking a new chapter for the Washington state born and now residing Lewis who has nearly two dozen albums to his credit and has spent most of his career […]
Ralph Alessi It’s Always Now ECM It’s Always Now is the eleventh release and fourth on ECM for American trumpeter and composer Ralph Alessi. Departing from previous ECM works, Alessi moves away from his NYC quartet in favor of new European- American lineup that features German pianist Florian Webber (co-writer on three compositions and fourth […]
Michael Dease The Other Shoe – The Music of Gregg Hill Origin You may well recognize that trombonist and composer Michael Dease is the second major artist to cover the music of Gregg Hill, who co-produces. Bassist Rodney Whitaker, who is a guest of Dease’s ensemble here for The Other Shoe – The Music of […]
Esthesis Quartet Time Zones Ears And Eyes The aptly named Time Zones brings together four improvising female jazz musicians who hail from different parts of the U.S. This is their second effort as their eponymous Esthesis Quartet released in 2021. The four musicians, educators, and composers met through festivals, conferences and sessions throughout the country […]
Pierre L. Chambers Shining Moments Dash-Hoffman “Mr P. C.” will inevitably be associated with the legendary bassist Paul Chambers, but now for the first time on record we hear from his son, poet and vocalist Pierre L. Chambers, who pays homage to his father and mother with his debut recording, Shining Moments. Proving that it’s […]
Billy Childs The Winds of Change Mack Avenue Although it’s a bit hard to fathom that Billy Childs may need an introduction, it’s likely the first time we have covered him on these pages as a leader. Childs is one of the most critically acclaimed pianists in contemporary jazz and among America’s most awarded and commissioned modern […]
David Ake Green Thumb Posi-Tone Even though this is regular David Ake’s seventh album for Posi-Tone, Green Thumb marks our first coverage for the pianist and leading educator at The University of Miami’s esteemed Frost School of Music. Now, we may have mentioned this before but because the Posi-Tone producer/engineer duo of Marc Free and […]
Dave Askren Jeff Benedict Denver Sessions Tapestry Denver Sessions is the fourth collaborative album for guitarist Dave Askren and saxophonist Jeff Benedict and follows their 2020 tribute to the recently passed Wayne Shorter, entitled Paraphernalia. The two have actually recorded together a dozen times in their 30-year history in L.A. The location and lineup are […]
Bobo Stenson Trio Sphere ECM European piano trios, many of whom come from a classical background, often sound very different from their American jazz counterparts. Such is the case for Swedish pianist Bobo Stenson who made his debut with ECM a whopping 52 years ago with Underwear and has remained in the ECM stable with […]
Margherita Fava TATATU Self-released TATATU is the debut recording for Italian-born, Knoxville, TN-based pianist and composer Margherita Fava who has assembled a top tier quartet for her highly lyrical, soulful original six compositions. She nods to Thelonious Monk and to Jerome Kern with her two covers. Joining Favre, who forges a group sound versus a […]
Ally Fiola & The Next Quest Interblaze – featuring Jeff Coffin Self-released Nova Scotian alto saxophonist and film composer Ally Fiola delivers her second album, the contemporary jazz, New Orleans flavored Interblaze. Her guest accompanists are quite impressive beginning with multi-Grammy nominated tenor saxophonist Jeff Coffin (Dave Matthews Band, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones) and […]
Simon Moullier Isla Self-released Scanning the album photograph and instrumentation for this quartet, one might think that emerging and prolific vibraphonist and composer Simon Moullier presents an ethereal, almost New Wave-like sound. Well, that’s dead wrong. This quartet swings! Isla is Moullier’s third album in less than three years and while the others were rendered […]
Christopher Hale Ritual Diamonds Earshift Music Bassist-composer Christopher Hale reimagines Korean ritual drumming and contemporary jazz, creating mysteriously beautiful sound rich in rhythmic complexity and harmonic colors for Ritual Diamonds. In some respects, this is similar to, almost a sequel to the concept album Disruption: The Voice of Drums released in 2022 by the same […]
Vivienne Aerts Typuhthang Self-released Like you, this writer is having trouble pronouncing the album name. In fact, for a self-released project, this is an incredibly ambitious and unusual one. Vocalist, performer, and composer Vivienne Aerts has gathered 100 next-generation female musicians to launch a special touch for International Women’s Day on March 3. In collaboration […]
Scott Petito Many Worlds Planet Arts Bassist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer Scott Petito has gathered a stunning group of luminaries for his wide ranging, aptly named Many Worlds. These are the musicians you’ll hear – saxophonist Bob Mintzer, vibraphonist Mike Mainieri, trumpeter Randy Brecker, drummers Steve Gadd, Peter Erskine and Omar Hakim, percussionists Mino Cinelu and Bashiri Johnson, pianists Rachel Z Hakim and Kevin Hays, bassist Larry Grenadier and vocalist Anna Maria Jope. The […]
Mark Ortwein It Was Time Terra Voce The kneejerk reaction when learning that Indiana-based musician, composer, and educator Mark Ortwein was a one-man woodwind section playing tenor, alto, soprano, and baritone saxes, along with bassoon, electrified bassoon, clarinet, bass clarinet, and flute was that perhaps this would be a self-indulgent exercise. As it turns out, […]
Leap Day Trio Live at the Café Bohemia Giant Steps Arts The Leap Day Trio (Matt Wilson, Jeff Lederer, and Mimi Jones) christen the reopening of Greenwich Village’s famed Café Bohemia sixty years later. What a story! The club originally opened in 1955, when Charlie Parker offered to play the room for free drinks. The […]
Alex Weiss Most Don’t Have Enough ears & eyes The socially conscious Most Don’t Have Enough is the third album for tenor saxophonist Alex Weiss and his first with his working quintet since 2019, Glad Irys. This adventurous, fiery unit has Dan Blake on soprano saxophone and Yana Davydova on guitar, forming a formidable front […]
Tomer Cohen Not the Same River Hypnote Tomer Cohen is an Israeli-born jazz guitarist making his debut on Not the Same River, introducing us to his sound which incorporates folk, Israeli music, and jazz in a trio format. His bandmates have strong ties to the SF Jazz Collection – bassist Matt Penman and drummer Obed […]
Don Aliquo Growth Self-released Veteran reedist Don Aliquo, originally from Pittsburgh, but resident of Nashville for the past two decades, may still be a relatively new name as he is not part of the more publicized jazz scenes in New York or Chicago. Aliquo was mentored from childhood by his father, the still active 93-year-old […]
Joe Locke Makram Circle 9 Veteran vibraphonist and composer Joe Locke reunites his quartet for an album that feels both old and new at the same time. The ‘old” are the two standards that bookend the album’s seven originals, either penned by Locke or band members with Locke doing all the arranging. Locke’s quartet features […]
Leon Lee Dorsey w/ Mike Clark and Russell Malone Cantaloupe Island Jazz Avenue 1 The bass-drum team of Leon Lee Dorsey and Mike Clark are on a certifiable roll. This writer has reviewed three of their efforts, all with pianists – Manuel Valera, the late Harold Mabern, and most recently Mike LeDonne. The duo now […]
Christopher McBride Ramon KYO Music Saxophonist and composer Christopher McBride’s Ramon is a more than appropriate album for Black History Month as he weaves in the four pillars of Black music, blues, gospel, soul, and R&B as well as a suite devoted to the unfortunate murder of Trayvon Martin. The recent Grammy winner with Steven […]
Ann Hampton Calloway Fever: A Peggy Lee Celebration Palmetto Having heard Ann Hampton Calloway sing recently, there’s a bluesy, sultry style to her vocals that should interest the readers of this blues-oriented publication. Calloway has all the key attributes of nuance, power, range, and emotion as well as the presence of the best entertainers, and […]
Jesse Davis Jesse Davis Live at Smalls Jazz Club Cellar Music Group and SmallsLIVE Living Masters Series Admittedly some readers of these pages may have first associated the name Jesse Davis with Taj Mahal’s late guitarist, better known as Jesse Ed Davis. Yet, alto saxophonist Jesse Davis has been a staple within the jazz community for nearly forty […]
East Axis No Subject Mack Avenue We don’t associate the label Mack Avenue or Christian’s McBride’s Brother Mister Productions with improvised, avant-garde offerings except for his own New Jawn but that has changed with the issuance of this quartet, East Axis and their debut, No Subject. Based on the sounds heard here, more of this […]
Bill Warfield and the Hell’s Kitchen Funk Orchestra Time Capsule Planet Arts Jazz, blues, and soul lovers will all find recognizable fare on this large ensemble recording from Bill Warfield and his famed Hell’s Kitchen Funk Orchestra as they cover such gems as “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free,” “Light […]
Planet D Nonet Blues to Be There A Salute to Duke Ellington Eastlawn The Planet D Nonet is a Detroit-based group, actually numbering ten, lead by percussionist and music personality RJ Spangler and trumpeter/vocalist James O’Donnell. Prior to this salute to Duke Ellington the band has engaged in what they feel are neglected jazz and […]
Dave Stryker Prime Strikezone As readers of these pages know, jazz/blues guitarist Dave Stryker is prolific yet this offering, Prime, is his first featuring his working trio – organist Jared Gold and drummer McClenty Hunter, each of whom have issued albums as leaders as well. This represents the classic soul-jazz organ trio with eight new […]
Diego Rivera Love And Peace Posi-Tone Bandleader, composer, educator and saxophonist Diego Rivera returns for his fourth release for PosiTone with the inspired Love And Peace. Rivera fronts a quartet, backed by the label’s mainstay rhythm section of pianist Art Hirahara, bassist Boris Kozlov, and drummer Rudy Royston. We have covered Rivera on these pages […]
Dave Liebman Live at Smalls Cellar Music Group – Smalls Live Living Masters Series He’s played for over sixty years and attained NEA Jazz Master status, so who can blame saxophonist and composer Dave Liebman for electing to play free jazz at this stage of his career – “I have been recording since I was […]
Ben Wolfe Unjust Resident Arts Bassist, bandleader and composer Ben Wolfe’s 2019 Fatherhood, a mix of jazz and classical was so provocative, it left us curious as to what his next move would be. The wait is over. Wolfe returns Unjust, eschewing the classical side of his personality for more of a free, improvised jazz […]
